Related

Is the casein in dairy products causing flare-ups of my psoriasis?
I have psoriasis on my hands. I was told to stop eating dairy, as the casein in it is an inflammatory. So I have eliminated dairy from my diet and my hands are much better. It seems that I can still eat goat cheese. I haven't tried buffalo or sheep cheese. Have you seen or heard of any situations like this? It is quite a challenge for me. Do you have any advice?

Should I purchase this chocolate anti-inflammatory product, Xocai?
As a chocoholic, I was intrigued by a product called Xocai. Among its ingredients is unprocessed dark cocoa powder. It is supposed to be a great anti-inflammatory which I'm always looking for due to pain in my knee and wrist. I thought it would be best to ask your opinion re this "healthy chocolate" before I parted with my hard earned cash. Is unprocessed cocoa better than the cocoa powder found in grocery shelves?

Do nightshade plants, like eggplants, tomatoes, and peppers, cause inflammation?
I'm seeing a Physical Therapist for help recovering from a partially-torn tendon and chronic ankle sprain, plus sporadic episodes of severe foot to calf muscle cramps. For the muscle cramps, doctors have said to try more calcium, D, potassium, and magnesium. The PT recommends avoiding nightshade plants in my diet, and taking curcumin with black pepper extract, thinking that would reduce inflammation. Why would that make sense? I can't see any inflammation.

Health & Nutrition Bites

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Obesity
and the Heartbreak of Psoriasis

According
to the National Psoriasis Foundation, 75% of people with psoriasis
feel that their condition has a "moderate to large" negative
impact on their quality of life- enough that their daily activities are
affected.

For
years there has been anecdotal evidence from physicians who see a link
between overweight and psoriasis, and indeed, several studies have shown
a connection. But until recently (Arch Intern Med 2007;167(15):1670-5)
there haven't been any long-term prospective (following subjects over time)
studies to assess this connection.

This
research made use of data collected as part of the Nurses' Health Study
II, a long-term, large scale study of over 116,000 nurses who were between
25 and 42 years of age in 1989, the study's inception. After the initial
questionnaire, which included data about height, weight, smoking and alcohol
status, eating habits, and medical conditions (including psoriasis), similar
questionnaires were administered every two years.

The
researchers at Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and
the University of British Columbia, Vancouver compared those women who
reported a diagnosis of psoriasis with those who did not have that condition.
They found a remarkable rising risk of developing psoriasis correlating
with a higher Body Mass Index: those women who were simply in the overweight
category (between 25 and 29.9) increased their risk of psoriasis by 40%!
Obese women (with a BMI over 30) saw their risk increase by nearly 50%,
while very obese women (BMI over 35) were at an incredibly increased risk
of 169% (that's not a typo).

Dr.
Setty's team also correlated weight change since the age of 18 with the
risk of psoriasis, and found that those women who were obese (BMI of 30
or greater) at the age of 18 were 73% more likely to develop psoriasis.

What
this means for you

Psoriasis
is a chronic inflammatory disease, and obesity has been shown to cause
a chronic, low-grade, inflammatory state in the body. Although there have
been case reports of complete remission of psoriasis symptoms in those
who lose significant amounts of weight, why work for remission when maintaining
a normal weight will help you avoid psoriasis completely?